Best selling items on eBay: how to find them yourself

Before you start

In shortCheck that this guide fits your business, then pick a broad area to search.

Is there a list of best selling items on eBay?

In shorteBay names broad popular categories, not current items, so use them only as a place to start.

How to find what sells best on eBay this week

1. Step 1 of 7: Search a broad term in Product Research

   In shortSearch a category or broad term over 90 days, then note how many sold and how many sellers share them.

   Product Research (formerly Terapeak) is eBay’s free sales tool for sellers. Open it from the Research tab in Seller Hub, or in the eBay app. It covers up to three years of eBay sales.

   Search wide, then narrow

   1. Type a broad term, such as a type of item or a brand you know.
   2. Pick a category. Then select Apply to see more filters, such as condition.
   3. Set the dates to the last 90 days. Then try 30 days. Is the item selling faster or slower now?
   4. Open the sold listings that come up again and again. Check that they are the same item.

   For each item, write down how many sold and how many sellers sold it. Product Research shows both. It also shows the sales trend over time.

   For 90 days or less, it shows a sell-through rate too. That compares the items sold with the listings in your search. A low rate means many listings are still waiting for buyers.

   Made-up search	Sold	Sellers	Sold per seller
   Practice item A	600	120	5
   Practice item B	180	9	20
   Practice item C	400	1	400

   Item A sells the most, but each seller gets about 5 sales. Item B sells less, yet each seller gets about 20. Item C has one seller only. A big total shared by many sellers can still mean few sales for you.

   Want to learn the whole tool? The Terapeak guide covers every filter and figure.

   Result: A first list of items that sold in the last 90 days, each with its sales and number of sellers.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Find busy categories in Sourcing Insights

2. Step 2 of 7: Find busy categories in Sourcing Insights

   In shortWith a Basic Store or higher, look for categories that eBay marks “Great Opportunity”.

   Sourcing Insights sits next to Product Research in the Research tab. It comes free with a Basic Store subscription or higher. An eBay Store is a paid plan for business sellers.

   To see data for a category, you need $500 or more in sales in that category. So it works best in categories you already sell in.

   Look for categories marked Great Opportunity. eBay uses this mark when many buyers search but there are not enough listings. Many searches with few listings is a better sign than high sales alone.

   Sourcing Insights also shows trends over time. It shows which item specifics (details like brand, size or color) are seen and clicked the most.

   Result: Two or three categories with many searches and few listings, or a note that you skipped this step.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Check sold items in eBay search

3. Step 3 of 7: Check sold items in eBay search

   In shortSearch eBay, tick Sold items, and see what sold lately and at what price.

   This check is free and works for any item on your list.

   Check one item

   1. Sign in to eBay and search for the item.
   2. In the filters, tick Sold items.
   3. Look at the dates. Count the sales in the last few weeks.
   4. Look at the sellers. Note if the sales come from one seller or from many.

   Sold items shows about the last 90 days. It does not show the price of an accepted Best Offer. eBay search has no sort by number sold, so it cannot put the most sold items on eBay first. You count the sales yourself. Count recent sales, not the number of results on the page.

   The guide on how to read eBay sold listings shows each filter in detail.

   Result: For each item: sales in the last few weeks, and from one seller or many.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Learn from other sellers’ sold items

4. Step 4 of 7: Learn from other sellers’ sold items

   In shortOpen the stores of sellers who sell your item well, and learn from them without copying.

   eBay seller research means learning from sellers who already sell well. eBay’s research tools are built to show what your competitors are doing. In your results, open a sold listing. Then open the seller’s store and their feedback.

   Look at:

   • What else they sellOther items in the same category may sell well too.
   • Their price and shippingCompare the total a buyer pays with what you could offer.
   • Their photos and item specificsSee what details buyers get. Note what is missing, such as measurements or clear photos. That gap can be your reason to win.
   • Their feedbackRead what buyers say about the item and the delivery.

   See one seller’s sold items

   1. Open eBay’s Advanced search.
   2. Under Search Including, tick Sold items.
   3. Under Only show items from, choose Specific sellers. Enter the seller’s user ID.

   Or type the user ID into the free eBay seller lookup. It opens their items for sale, sold items and feedback.

   Learn what sells from other sellers. Never copy their photos or words.

   Result: Notes on two or three sellers: what they sell, their prices and what buyers say.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Check the same months last year

5. Step 5 of 7: Check the same months last year

   In shortCompare the same months last year to see if an item sells all year or in one season.

   Product Research goes back three years. Set the dates to the same weeks last year. Did the item sell then too?

   Then look at the sales trend over a full year. Some items sell all year. Others sell well only before a holiday or in one season. A steady trend is safer than one tall spike.

   With a Store, Sourcing Insights also shows trends over time. eBay says it helps you get ready for seasonal demand.

   Events move demand too. eBay’s guide to high-demand items points to gift seasons such as Christmas and Mother’s Day. It also says new films can lift sales of toys and collectibles. Check last year’s sales around the same event.

   Result: For each item: it sells all year, or only in some months (and which ones).

   Mark this step as doneNext: Sort the good signs from the traps

6. Step 6 of 7: Sort the good signs from the traps

   In shortDrop items whose sales rest on one seller or one week, that you may not sell, or that buyers return.

   Good signs

   • Sales in most weeks of the last 90 days
   • Sales from several sellers
   • Sales at the same time last year
   • A sold price that leaves you money

   Weak signs

   • One seller’s huge sold count, with no dates
   • A brand or item you are not allowed to sell
   • Many returns or complaints
   • A price from one busy week

   How to spot each trap

   • One seller’s huge countA big “sold” number on one listing does not say when those sales happened. Check recent sales and their dates.
   • Many returnsRead the feedback on sold listings. Look for words like “wrong size”, “broken” or “not as described”. eBay’s guide says clothes carry a higher return risk because of fit and size. Exact measurements help.
   • One busy weekLook at the sales trend. If most sales came in one week, that price may not last.
   • Many watchers, few salesAn active listing can show how many people watch it. Watchers are not buyers. A seller can send offers to the 30 most recent ones, so many may be waiting for a lower price. Count sales, not watchers.

   One clear trap is enough to drop an item. Write down the reason, so you do not check it again next week.

   Result: Your short list without traps. Each item you dropped has a reason.

   Mark this step as doneNext: Turn a best seller into your item

7. Step 7 of 7: Turn a best seller into your item

   In shortFind your reason to win the sale, work out money left, then run the full check before you buy.

   The best selling items on eBay usually have many sellers. Buyers need a reason to pick you. For example:

   • A lower cost from your supplier, so you can match the price and still keep money
   • Faster delivery, or free shipping
   • A version others do not have: a bundle, a color or a better condition

   Then work out your money left per item. That is the sold price minus the item’s cost, shipping and eBay fees. The eBay fee calculator guide shows how. If little is left at today’s sold price, pass on the item.

   Two kinds of best sellers can leave less than they seem. A cheap item can sell many times and still leave little after fees. A heavy or bulky item can lose most of its money left to shipping. Weigh the packed item before you decide.

   The best selling items on eBay bring one more cost. eBay’s help says promoted listings rank higher in search. In a crowded search, you may need ads to be seen. Add an ad rate to your money left before you buy.

   Last, run the full check on each item. Our guide to eBay product research takes one item from the first search to a small test.

   Result: Three to five items, each with your reason to win, its money left and a date for the full check.

   Mark this step as doneNext: What this can and cannot tell you

What this can and cannot tell you

In shortPast sales show what buyers wanted, but they do not promise the same sales for you.

Common questions about best selling items on eBay

How Productivo helps you find best selling items on eBay

In shortProductivo can read eBay listings and sales for many items at once, but you still check dates and costs.

Everything above works with eBay’s own tools. This part is about Productivo, the app behind this guide.

Guide step	What Productivo does
Step 1	Product Scanner searches eBay US by keyword, or in up to five categories. It shows how many each listing has sold. That is the listing’s all-time count, so check the dates in Product Research.
Step 4	Competitor hijack starts from eBay categories you pick. It finds the stores there that dropship and reads what they sold, with how many and when.
Step 6	Settings › Blacklist holds eBay’s VeRO list of rights owners and your own entries. A product that matches is never published.
Step 7	Both tools estimate the profit per item from your store’s cost settings, next to a matching Amazon offer. eBay’s dropshipping rule still applies.

Product Scanner is part of the Pro and Scale plans. Competitor hijack is part of Basic, Pro and Scale, with a monthly number of product checks. The Blacklist is in every plan. None of them replaces the three years of sales history in Product Research.

One scan result, with its sold count and costs

Each result shows the eBay listing, how many it has sold and a matching source offer. Open it to see how the estimated profit adds up.

Open the full screenshot (new tab)

Productivo by business model

Pick how you sell. Each part names the steps where Productivo helps that kind of seller, and what you still do yourself.

Wholesale sellers choosing what to stock and reorder

In shortYour blacklist checks every bulk lot you import, and private label items list under your own brand.

Resellers hunting the best things to resell on eBay

In shortHunt second-hand versions of what sells, and Productivo lists each one with its exact condition and your own photos.

Makers finding handmade items that sell well on eBay

In shortMake your version of a style that sells, list it, and drop styles few buyers search for.

Wholesale dropshippers choosing best sellers from a supplier’s catalog

In shortList your picks with your own photos, but check how many other eBay dropshippers sell the same items.